To preempt rising dengue fever and rodent risks from summer heat and rainfall, the Department of Environmental Protection of the Taoyuan City Government (TYDEP) has launched a synchronized environmental sanitation and epidemic prevention campaign. Mobilizing cleaning teams across 12 districts, volunteers, and cross-departmental resources, the city is intensifying disinfection and inspections at traditional markets, parks, residential communities, and sanitation hotspots to eliminate vector and rodent breeding grounds. TYDEP stated that dengue prevention centers on the “look, pour, clear, and scrub” routine, while rodent control denies pests food, access, and shelter, prioritizing physical mitigation supported by chemical controls.
TYDEP Director-General Yen Chi-Liang noted that the city convened two cross-agency rodent control platform meetings on May 5 and May 13. Partnering with markets and commercial management authorities, these sessions leveraged expert analysis to implement source-reduction strategies, including promoting grease traps, accelerating garbage removal, eliminating food sources, and sealing rodent burrows. To address park rodent concerns, TYDEP has stepped up inspections, while the Office of Road and Accessory Maintenance and civil affairs offices have installed “no feeding” signs and surveillance cameras to penalize violators under the Park Management Self-Government Ordinance. Maintenance crews are sealing burrows and clearing debris daily; when chemical treatments are required, fully enclosed bait stations are utilized to reduce public contact risks.
TYDEP added that the high-risk season for dengue runs from April to August. Common items like meal boxes, beverage cans, flowerpot saucers, discarded tires, and buckets easily collect stagnant water, creating mosquito breeding sites that also attract rodents. Residents are urged to regularly inspect their homes and neighborhoods to clear standing water and clutter.
According to TYDEP statistics, the city disinfected 298 villages between January and April 2026, with the first citywide round on track for completion by late June. Crews have cleared over 350,900 meters of roadside ditches, removing approximately 650 tons of mud, with a second round of disinfection scheduled by late October. Since May 10, TYDEP has mobilized district cleaning teams and volunteers for community cleanups, drawing approximately 100,000 participants and eliminating 20,000 stagnant water containers.
TYDEP emphasized that public cooperation remains the definitive factor in pest control. Officials urged citizens to commit to rodent prevention by properly disposing of food waste, repairing structural gaps, and clearing water containers to ensure a clean, safe, and healthy living environment.